


Of Gal Pals and Secrets

by Roadside_Wildflower



Series: Girls Love Girls Even in the South (Especially in the South) [1]
Category: Hart of Dixie
Genre: Angst, Annabeth POV, Drinking, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Infidelity, Internalized Homophobia, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 12:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19946245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roadside_Wildflower/pseuds/Roadside_Wildflower
Summary: AnnaBeth has a secret. Well, rather, she has three secrets. One is a secret she's kept for years, ever since she was fourteen and kissed a girl visiting Bluebell on vacation. Another is a secret she's kept for weeks, about how she and Zoe are best friends, despite Zoe being the town pariah. The third is her most dangerous secret though, the one that has the potential to tear her life here apart piece by piece, the one has the potential to ruin everything: she is in love with Zoe Hart.AnnaBeth doesn't expect anything to come of these feelings, and she certainly doesn't expect to act on them. But after a few glasses of wine during girls night, she finds herself on the brink of revealing it all to Zoe.OR:My take on 1x12 (Of Mistresses & Misunderstandings), but instead of it being played for humor that they're together, there really is something going on between them :)





	Of Gal Pals and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> my gay ass watched 1x12 (Of Mistresses & Misunderstandings) a while back with my gf and I couldn't resist the idea of writing up a fanfic that told the story as an actual affair instead of just a joke one. so here it is, with some other stuff thrown in too!
> 
> Nothing quite like pouring effort into a ship that doesn't exist for a mostly dead fandom, but hey's someone's gotta do it lol

AnnaBeth has a problem that can be summed up in three letters: Zoe.

There's another three letter word, one that's been chasing her for a little over ten years now, that is also a huge problem. And if she's honest, it's the _real_ reason that Zoe Hart is such a problem, but AnnaBeth doesn't like acknowledging that part of herself. So she'll do what she has always done, whether it is sex with her husband or taking orders from Lemon: pretend like there isn't a problem, and soldier on.

It shouldn't be hard to ignore Zoe. Bluebell may not be a city, but it's a large town, large enough to avoid someone if that's what you want to do. She's avoided Jake's friends for years now, and she thinks she's almost forgot some of their faces, it's been so long. But Zoe, goddamn Zoe Hart, keeps popping up from the periphery of everything she does. She's at the grocery store, at the park, and for a while, she was even at the Belles.

It's not like she necessarily _wants_ to avoid Zoe though, and maybe that's the problem. She genuinely likes Zoe. Zoe's quick with a quip, and she always makes AnnaBeth laugh. Zoe is kindhearted, despite that abrasive New York exterior. Zoe is real, and genuine, and not prone to the annoying mind games that Lemon and the other Belles like to play. Zoe is gorgeous, like she just walked out of some New York fashion catalog. Zoe always manages to improve her day, make her smile, make her feel _alive_. Zoe is--

Zoe means too much to her, and that's just that.

AnnaBeth isn't sure when _it_ started, when she started feeling things she shouldn't for Zoe. Maybe it was when Zoe got Lemon to overturn the gypsy curse. Maybe it was during Hell Week. (Maybe, just maybe, it was a long time ago, when she was sitting on a hospital bed for a checkup by Zoe for the first time, and she saw her stride confidently into the room, dark waves bouncing on her shoulders, a fierceness in her eyes, a figure so fine that it shouldn't be legal, and--)

But it's better not to dwell on things. What matters isn't _when_ it started, but instead how she deals with it moving on out. And for now, she's dealing with the whole friendship-with-the-town-pariah thing, and she'll tackle the other problem when she has the time and energy to (hopefully far, far into the distant future).

So, instead of ignoring Zoe like she should, she and Zoe have been hanging out as friends for two weeks now, and it's been nice. _Really_ nice. She's noticed an improvement in her own mood, and an extra spring in her step, and Zoe has been the same way (and AnnaBeth tries her hardest not to read more into it than there is).

She's happy, in a way that she hasn't been in a long time, maybe even ever.

So when people start start to talk, as they are apt to do in a town like this, it starts to grind on Annabeth and her happiness. It's painful enough to hear all the whispered rumors of Zoe with practically every single man in town (and even some who are not, imagine the scandal), but she also starts to worry that people will realize that they're friends, which Lemon would absolutely _not_ condone. And besides, most of the town hates Zoe, and AnnaBeth isn't exactly in a place where she can afford to lose allies, standing at the edge of divorce herself (Jake thinks she doesn't know about the "business" trips to Mobile, but she does, she has eyes, she can see the bruises his lover leaves behind. It doesn't bother her like it should though, it just makes her sad for a reason she can't quite express).

When Zoe calls her and asks her to come over for a girl night, AnnaBeth is thrilled, but also wary. She accepts, but also reminds Zoe again that under no circumstances can anyone know about it or their friendship. And Zoe just gives her a "yeah, yeah" because she's used to AnnaBeth's constant hangups up about them being friends in public. Which probably makes AnnaBeth a bad friend, but she's already a bad friend for the things she imagines at night, for the way she looks at Zoe, for--

She's just a bad friend, period.

It's dark, when she finally leaves to Zoe's place. She's going to be a little bit late, but she didn't want to leave under daylight. And besides, friends don't have an obligation to be on time for each other, right? It's girl's night, not a business meeting.

Headlights off, she pulls around to the back of Zoe's place, leaving her car parked behind the trunk of an old magnolia tree. Taking in a deep breath, she clambers out of the car and to the back door, knocking softly.

And then Zoe Hart opens it and takes her breath away. Zoe's not got on any makeup, but it don't matter, because in no world would Zoe Hart ever need it, with high cheekbones and eyes so dark and deep it's easy to drown in them. She's wearing a simple, deep-necked floral top, the kind that is casual enough for a night in at home, but just nice enough to make it obvious that she wanted to wear something nice tonight. Zoe is effortlessly simple and elegant, in a way that doesn't come easy for New York women and Southern belles alike.

"Hey! AB, so glad you're here," Zoe says with a smile, and AnnaBeth can feel something sharp and electric shoot to her heart. "Come on in, and we can get started. I've already got the movie all ready to go, popcorn popped, wine poured, and the pizza's ready to go in whenever we're ready for it."

"Great, what movie are we watchin' tonight?"

"A Rom-com."

"Another one?" AnnaBeth asks, wrinkling her nose.

"Watching a chick-flick is mandatory during girl's night, AB."

"They're just so unrealistic," AnnaBeth says, rolling her eyes. "They make relationships seem all happy and lovey, and I don't know. But I guess they can be nice."

"Well, we'll just have to watch a bunch before you find one you like," Zoe says, flashing her a smile. And when Zoe flashes her that smile, AnnaBeth knows that there's nothing she wouldn't do to keep it on her.

"I look forward to it then. You know," Annabeth begins, thinking back to the movies they've watched so far, "that one about the bookstore--"

A knock comes at the door.

"Shit," AnnaBeth whispers. She flashes Zoe a look of panic and dives into a nearby closet, pulling the doors shut, while Zoe goes outside to answer the door. Zoe's too far away for AnnaBeth to pick up on what she's saying, but it's less than a minute later that she can hear Zoe's steps thudding back to her. Zoe opens the closet doors, and AnnaBeth gives her a sheepish grin.

"Do you think they saw me?"

"Nope, you're in the clear," Zoe says, rolling her eyes. Zoe grabs her hand and drags her out of the closet (and yes, AnnaBeth did not get a degree in English from Auburn for nothing, she can appreciate irony when she sees it) and out onto the couch again.

Zoe starts up the movie and AnnaBeth makes herself comfortable on the couch. It's quickly apparent though that the movie Zoe decided to put on isn't very good, and AnnaBeth finds herself watching Zoe more than she does it. And drinking wine. She drinks a lot of wine, and she can feel it's familiar warmth spread through her body. Growing up, she always had her red wine fruity and chilled, but through Zoe, she's starting to develop a newfound appreciation for a nice dry red.

Halfway through, Zoe puts in the pizza, and twenty minutes later, it's out of the oven and on the coffee table in front of them.

And AnnaBeth doesn't know why she does it, or why she thinks it okay (though if she's honest knows exactly why she does it), but once she starts, she can't seem to stop.

It starts as an accident after they've eaten a couple pizza slices. At first, it's just innocent shifting around on the couch in an attempt to get more comfortable. But she ends up closer to Zoe than she realizes, and she can just barely feel the brush of Zoe's shoulders against hers, and it sends electricity crackling down her spine. So she shifts over even closer, just barely, and slowly, she leans into Zoe. Zoe, being the naive straight girl she is, pulls AnnaBeth closer into her, and lets her rest her head on her shoulder.

"Aww, I never took you for a cuddler," Zoe says.

"I'm sorry, I can just--"

"No, I don't mind. I actually kind of like it," Zoe says softly, shrugging slightly.

And so AnnaBeth stays there, curled up partially on Zoe, smell of guava shampoo and honey soap drifting faintly into her senses. She knows she shouldn't stay there, knows that it'll only lead to deep and unrequited feelings. But she doesn't move away, she stays there.

Before she knows it, the movie is finished, and Zoe is prattling on about how the girl was too good for the guy, but also that they looked totally hot together, but AnnaBeth isn't really listening. Zoe finishes the last piece of her pizza, and then starts to lament the lack of romance in her life.

"Like, it's not like I expected or even wanted to fall in love in Alabama, but there's just been no one here for me. It's crazy."

"No one, really?" AnnaBeth asks, heart skipping a beat.

"No one," Zoe confirms.

"Well, it ain't like my husband is no catch either," AnnaBeth said, tipsiness from the wine bringing out her dialect more than usual. "Like I swear, I don't know how on God's green earth he manages to be so unappealin' sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, during, you know. Sex," AnnaBeth says in a hushed voice. "He likes to recite the defensive line for Auburn. While we're _doing it_."

"What? No."

"Really, it boggles the mind. I just don't get him most the time," AnnaBeth says, shaking her head. "Most the time, I reckon he'd rather be jumpin' them than me," she says dryly, "though I can't say it wouldn't be preferable for me too. But we're married, but you're not," she continues, redirecting the conversation before she says something she knows she'll regret later. "So how 'bout you, and men? Who'd you bang, if you could?"

"I-- I don't know," Zoe says cautiously. "I'm really not sure."

"Well there's the mayor," AnnaBeth offers, a pang echoing in her chest at the thought of the man Zoe spends so much time around. "He's, well, big," she says, struggling to decide what features a straight girl would find attractive in a man.

"Nah, he's just a friend, and I really couldn't see myself doing anything with him."

Relief flutters through AnnaBeth's chest. "Well, there's also Wade, your neighbor, he seems into you."

"What? Wade? No, he's just not my type, like at all," Zoe says with a derisive snort.

And her words send a fresh flutter through AnnaBeth's heart. Because if she's not into them, then maybe, just maybe…

"Well," she says softly. "There are… other people in this town, too," she says softly, letting her eyes drift slowly up Zoe's body until they rest at her eyes.

"I don't know, AB. I just don't know if I've found the right person."

AnnaBeth shifts closer, just a little closer, and she feels her heartbeat tick up in speed.

"Maybe you just ain't been lookin' in the right place then. Have you… have you ever kissed a woman before?"

"No," Zoe says with a snort. "I've never done anything like that before."

And AnnaBeth's heart falls. Stupid, stupid AnnaBeth. Stupid fucking AnnaBeth, thinking things she shouldn't, wanting something she could never had. Zoe's a New York girl, not a California one. She should've known. She _had_ known. She just shouldnt've hoped anyways.

"Have you? Kissed a girl before, I mean," Zoe asks.

"No," AnnaBeth says easily, the lie coming off her tongue perhaps a little too fast. The room is silent for a long moment, and Zoe gives her an odd look. "What?" AnnaBeth asks, her voice a little too terse for what the situation called for.

"Oh, it's just-- you just seemed to tense up all the sudden, are you alright?"

"Y-- yeah, I'm fine."

"AnnaBeth," Zoe says, her voice both soft and whiny, "we're besties, you can tell me anything, you know."

AnnaBeth remains silent for a long moment. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, of course."

And she shouldnt've said the next words she does. Maybe it's the wine, maybe it's the smell of Zoe's guava shampoo, maybe it's the hormones surging through AnnaBeth. But whatever the reason is, she finally says it. "I have kissed one before."

"Huh?"

And the out is there, Zoe's looking at her all confused, and it'd be easy enough for AnnaBeth to deflect, to take the words back. But for some reason, she doesn't take the out. "When I was fourteen, I kissed a girl. She was here on vacation, visitin' with a grandmother who had moved down here in old age. We spent the whole summer together. And before she left, I kissed her. She kissed me back. And we talked constantly on the phone all next year, as somethin' just a little bit more than friends, but she never came back down. Her grandmother died a month before school let out."

"AnnaBeth… I'm so sorry, that sucks. So are you…?"

AnnaBeth ignores the implied question. "That wasn't the last girl I kissed, either. At college, I kissed a few more. Couldn't tell you how many, 'cause it only happened when I had too much liquor in me. But every time it did, I'd run out early in the mornin', and pretend like it ain't never've happened."

"AB…"

"I convinced myself it was the right thing and all. God hates dykes, after all," AnnaBeth chuckles bitterly. "And my daddy, well he wouldnt've paid for my college if he had known. But afterwards, I could've-- I could've left. I could've been someone else, someone better, but instead I came back down to Bluebell, married my high school 'sweetheart', and that was that. I'm a coward, Zoe," AnnaBeth says, looking dead into Zoe's eyes. "I'm the biggest coward in the whole world."

"No, you're not. You're--"

"I am. Compared to you, I am. You're always so brave, so fearless, I just-- I wish I could be like you, if only for a moment," Annabeth says, her heart constricting. "I just wish that--"

"Hey, hey," Zoe says softly, reaching out a hand to tenderly brush away tears that AnnaBeth hadn't realized were there. "It's alright, and I happen to think you are _very_ brave, even if just for having the courage to tell me." She lets her hand linger on AnnaBeth's skin for another moment, before finally dropping it.

And for a moment, it almost seems like Zoe _wants_ her, in the same way she wants her. And she knows she's not reading the signs right, but she doesn't care. She wants to be brave. She wants it, she wants _this_.

So AnnaBeth lurches forward, brushing her lips against Zoe's.

It's electric, and tender, but it's also one-sided. Zoe breaks away and gives AnnaBeth the most heartbreaking look.

"I'm so sorry," Zoe says, face totally stricken, "I didn't-- I didn't mean to lead you on or anything, I just--'

"No, it's fine. I was just being stupid," AnnaBeth said, her voice too high, her face too flushed. "I am so sorry, Zoe."

"No, it's fine, really, I--"

"No, I think-- I think I'm just gonna go now," AnnaBeth says, fumbling for her purse, which knew was sitting somewhere by the couch.

"AB, don't go, please?"

"No, I think I really should," she says, finally pulling her purse up. She stumbles to the back door, unsteady on her feet, but before she can pull it open, Zoe Hart is up and tugging on her arm.

"You can't drive, not like this. Even if you weren't upset, you have half a bottle of wine in you. So stay," Zoe pleads, her expression soft and a little sad.

And AnnaBeth knows she should go anyways, that the risk of DUI was smaller than the risk of further heartbreak, but she doesn't, because apparently she's a sucker for pain. Masochism, she thinks it's called.

"Fine."

"Great," Zoe says, a smile flitting onto her face. "I'll put on another movie. Anything you want to see?"

"Not particularly."

"How about something set in Alabama?"

"They make those?"

"You've never watched Sweet Home Alabama before? With Reese Witherspoon?"

AnnaBeth shakes her head mutely.

"We're going to have to fix that then!"

Zoe puts on the movie, walks into the kitchen, and a moment later comes back out with two glasses and a bottle of bourbon.

"Didn't think y'all drank this stuff up in New York," AnnaBeth says, eyeing the half-full bottle.

"We don't. I got it as a gift from a patient, and I've been working on it ever since. Can't say I like it yet, but it's nice occasionally."

"It's just about all I drink, except for wine and beer."

"I figured," Zoe says wryly. Zoe settles down on the couch and pours bourbon in both glasses.

"I'm not sure if I should have anymore, if I'm gonna drive back after the movie."

"Well good thing you're going to stay the night here."

"Zoe…"

"No, you'll sleep here, and I won't hear another word of it, AB," Zoe declares, before taking an awkward sip of her bourbon, drinking it almost like a shot at a bar.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You looked like you were chokin' it down!"

"…yes?"

"Oh Zoe," AnnaBeth sighs. "You've gotta enjoy the bourbon. Let it linger in your mouth, savor it."

"Really?"

"Really. Watch me," AnnaBeth says, picking up her glass. "First, you wanna swish it around a little. And then, you wanna take in the aroma," she says, maintaining eye contact with Zoe. And if she didn't still have a shred of rationality left in her, she'd almost think Zoe is blushing at the eye contact. "Then, you gotta take a sip of it. Not a small one, but not a large one either. And then," she says, slowly, deliberately, and even maybe a little seductively, "you've gotta let it linger. You gotta savor it, let it caress your tongue." Zoe is definitely blushing now.

"Gross," the other woman retorts.

"That's how my daddy explained it to me," AnnaBeth replies with a shrug. She takes her sip of the bourbon, enjoying the smooth sharpness on her tongue, and the resulting burn as it went down. "You've got a good bottle here, by the way."

"Good to know," Zoe says with an awkward smile. "Oh, um, this is a really important scene," she says, gesturing to the movie, "so we should probably watch it."

AnnaBeth rolls her eyes and turns her attention to the movie. As it goes on, she decides that it's alright, but the accents are mediocre at best, and it's filled with odd tropes that feel familiar but are just _wrong_ in ways that are hard to express.

About halfway through, she notices Zoe fidgeting awkwardly on the couch, as if she isn't quite sure how to sit on it anymore and wants to avoid any and all contact with AnnaBeth.

"I'm a lesbian, not a sex offender, you don't gotta worry about staying out of my way like that," she says dryly, liquor loosening her tongue a bit more than it'd usually be.

"No! I, um," Zoe stutters, blushing. "That's not it. I just can't get comfortable. I wouldn't have any problem touching you right now." And then her face is blushing even more at those words. "That's not meant I meant to say," she stammers. "I just meant that I could curl up on you and it wouldn't be awkward at all."

"Then do it," AnnaBeth challenges, eyebrows raised.

And Zoe does do it, almost a little too eagerly. She slides right up next to AnnaBeth, sides flush together, and Zoe rests her cheek on AnnaBeth's shoulder. The smell of guava and honey wash over her again, and AnnaBeth is filled with something warm and heavy in her heart.

The movie goes on, and as it does, Zoe seems to snuggle even further into her side, if possible. Eventually, her hand strays up AnnaBeth's arm and rests itself in the hair draped across her shoulder, slowly stroking and twirling it.

Finally, just as the movie is drawing to a close, AnnaBeth feels something soft and moist and searing on her shoulder, and she can feel it spark all the way to her heart.

Zoe is kissing her.

Zoe places a more kisses down her collarbone before AnnaBeth can find it in herself to speak up.

"Zoe, what are you doing?"

"Showing you just how much I like you."

"Zoe, you're drunk."

"No, I'm just tipsy. And no tipsier than you."

"Exactly, which means we shouldn't be doing this," AnnaBeth says, heart beating so hard she is sure that Zoe can hear it.

"But I want to."

"You'll regret it in the morning."

"No I won't."

"Yes you will."

"No I won't," Zoe insists. "So maybe I didn't really think about kissing you before. But now it's all I can think about. And I think I kind of liked it earlier when you kissed me, I was just sort of surprised at the time. So kiss me, AnnaBeth."

And AnnaBeth wants to resist. She knows she should. Knows it isn't right, knows that Zoe will probably really regret it in the morning. Knows they probably won't be friends in the morning if she kisses her again. But she's not exactly in the state of mind to make the best decisions either, so she does it again.

She lunges forward and traps Zoe Hart in another kiss. And Zoe Hart kisses her back.

It's electric, it's sloppy, and it's hungrier than any kiss AnnaBeth has ever had.

And then so is the rest of the night.

//

AnnaBeth wakes up in a bed that's not hers with a mouth of cotton. Sun slants through half-drawn shades and she blinks and looks around, realizing she's alone in Zoe Hart's room. Why is she in Zoe Hart's room?

And then come down her memories.

Fuck. She had fucked Zoe last night and totally ruined their friendship. That's why.

A sweet smell drifts through the open bedroom doorway, sending a rumble through her stomach.

AnnaBeth pushes aside the blankets and tries not to wince as she looks over her bare body. Her chest is almost more purple than tan; she should've known that Zoe would be aggressive in bed. Not that she minds. Mind _ed_ because it most certainly isn't happening again.

Eyeing the room, she looks for her clothes, but they aren't there. And then she remembers that they had all been long off before they had moved into the bedroom.

Wrapping the sheet around her, she steps outside into the kitchen and living room area. To her surprise, Zoe is standing over the stove, spatula in hand, flipping pancakes.

"Morning," Zoe calls out to her, giving her a shy smile. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to get up."

"You're making pancakes," AnnaBeth says in disbelief.

"Yeah?"

"For me?"

"Yep, and me too."

"You're not freaking out?"

"Nope."

"Why are you not freaking out?"

"Should I be freaking out?" Zoe asks, teasing the edge of a pancake with her spatula.

"You just had sex with your best friend. Your best _female_ friend who also happens to be _married_."

Zoe shrugs. "Yeah. I guess I should be overwhelmed. But I don't know, I woke up this morning, and I was just really happy. Guess there's a bit of a lesbian in me," she says with a grin.

Before AnnaBeth can get a chance to respond, Zoe's front door swings open, and a teenage girl that AnnaBeth vaguely recognizes as the Hattenbarger kid storms though.

"Zoe, you will not believe what just happened. I was talking with--"

"Rose! What are you doing here?" Zoe shouts.

And then three things happen.

AnnaBeth checks to make sure the sheet is fully covering her, because she sure as hell doesn't want to get sued for indecent exposure. And it is, thank the Lord.

Zoe starts to fumble with words, but can't get anything out.

And Rose's jaw drops as she sees AnnaBeth.

"Umm… Zoe?" Rose asks. "What is going on here?"

Zoe looks over to AnnaBeth, and then back to Rose. She doesn't say anything though, struck mute by the situation, and her face is flushed to a deep crimson.

"We had girls night last night," AnnaBeth offers. "So I decided to stay the night."

"And why are you wrapped in her sheet?"

"Spilled wine on my clothes," AnnaBeth says dismissively.

"And the bruises on your neck?" Rose asks flatly.

AnnaBeth looks over at Zoe, who seemed to still be in shock at the situation. "Yeah, I ain't got nothin' for that one."

The three women are silent for a long moment, before Rose speaks up. "Well, I'm, um, happy for you two, I guess."

"Thanks," Zoe says, finally regaining her composure. "It's still pretty new. So we haven't told anyone or anything."

"Oh. Cool."

"Zoe," AnnaBeth begins, turning to face her friend. "Do you mind if I go change into some of your clothes?"

"Go for it."

AnnaBeth retreats into the bedroom again, hands trembling as she searches through Zoe's drawers. Because of course, the first time she fucks a woman in Bluebell, someone finds out the very next morning.

She changes into a pair of yoga pants (Zoe's jeans are too small for her) and a sweatshirt. Throwing her hair up into a quick ponytail, she takes a deep breath and summons her resolve before stepping back to Zoe and Rose.

Rose is speaking slowly and looking at the ground, clearly nervous, and Zoe is hanging on her words.

"So, um," the girl says, "yeah. I have something to tell you too. Yesterday, I went to go tell off Magnolia for dating Frederick and all, and-- and she kissed me. And I kissed her back. And I liked it," she finishes hurriedly.

"Wow," Zoe says softly.

"Yeah. And then we kissed a few more times."

"Oh Rose."

"I know, I know! And then I ran away, and I couldn't get any sleep last night, and I just don't know what to do."

"I've been there before," AnnaBeth says, offering the girl a small smile. "You wanna eat breakfast with us? And we can talk about it all?"

"Can I?"

"Of course," Zoe interjects. "You're always welcome here."

The three stand awkwardly still and silent for a moment, not knowing quite what to do next.

"Zoe," AnnaBeth says, wrinkling her nose. "The pancakes are burnin'."

"Oh. Right."

AnnaBeth shakes her head and walks over to the table.

She had finally tasted Zoe's lips and found something that might eventually turn into love in Bluebell. But can she weather the storm that is surely to follow?

She's not sure, but ready or not, she's going to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to add a second installment at some point in the distant future, probably. When and if it comes, Part II will be a retelling of 1x13 (Sweetie Pies & Sweaty Palms) where they go public after dating for a while, and where Rose and Magnolia do awkward teen romance stuff :) I might do it from Zoe's perspective. Or Rose or Magnolia. Haven't decided yet!
> 
> Also as a totally unrelated side note, both sides of my family are actually from Escambia/Baldwin counties, so it's kinda cool having a show fictionally set in that area! Obvi the reality of the area couldn't be much more different than how the show depicts it, but the inaccuracy is almost endearing in a way lol. And of course they shot it in LA :/ but it's all cool


End file.
